Mental Health and Young People

A World Health Organisation report evidenced 3000 global studies as supporting the belief that engaging with the arts and creativity has a positive impact on people’s mental health. What is the potential of the arts to relieve stress, build resilience, support identity and empowerment, and develop vital social connections among young people.

How and who is using music, dance, visual art, drama, and creative expression to better incorporate the art forms into health and healing for young people experiencing mental health issues?

Chair: Maya McCrae, Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, Health, Wellbeing and Sport Committee

Panellists:

Fiona O’Sullivan is the director of Children’s Wellbeing for Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC), supporting children, young people and their families both in hospital and in the community. For almost 30 years, Fiona has worked within Arts in Health, supporting disadvantaged children, those with physical health conditions and those struggling with their mental health, by using creative interventions. Having experienced the positive effects arts and creativity have on mental health and wellbeing, Fiona through ECHC has recently opened The Haven, a children’s mental health support service based in East Lothian.

Dr Jo Inchley is co-lead for Schools Health and Well-being Network at the University of Glasgow. Dr Inchley is a behavioural scientist and public health researcher, specialising in child and adolescent health. Her current research focuses on adolescent mental health and the role of schools in health improvement, drawing on socio-ecological and systems perspectives. Other research interests include adolescent physical activity, sleep, social media use and spiritual health. Her previous roles include deputy director of the Child and Adolescent Health Research Unit and senior research fellow at University of St Andrews.

Sangeeta Isvaran is the founder of the Wind Dancers Trust and is a dancer-performer who developed the Katradi method, working in marginalized, underprivileged communities using arts in education, empowerment and conflict resolution across 30 countries. She has been honoured with the highest national award for young dancers – the Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar. She is a fellow of the International Institute of Conciliation, USA, and is an Honorary Associate of the Nature Conservation Foundation, India. Speaking eight international languages, she has taught in over 20 universities and international organizations.